Several kinds of input devices are known for performing operations in a computing device. Some examples of input devices include buttons, switches, keyboards, mice, trackballs, touch pads, joy sticks, touch screens and the like. Each of these devices has advantages and disadvantages that may be taken into account when designing an input apparatus for a computing device. The operations generally include moving a cursor and selecting items displayed on a display screen. The operations may also include paging, scrolling, panning, zooming, etc.
Some input devices are better configured to perform certain functions than other input devices. For example, touch pads and touch screens are useful for providing location information and buttons are useful for indicating selections. Since most computing devices perform several different functions, a combination of different input devices that are able to provide input in different manners is often desired.
In addition, many computing devices are designed to be portable, for example, media players, remote controls, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, etc. Designing input devices for these portable devices presents some unique problems. For example, there is typically a push to increase the ability and, thus, the number of functions that these portable computing devices are able to perform. As the number of operations that these portable devices perform increases, the number of controls desired to control these operations and the complexity of these controls also typically increase. A competing concern is that there is also pressure to make portable computing devices smaller, and thus, more portable. However, as the size of these devices decreases, the amount of space in which to locate input devices also decreases.
Accordingly, a need exists for compact input device configurations that can be used to control a variety of different functions in a variety of different manners.